Government Committed To Abolition of Hospital User Fees

GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO ABOLITION OF USER

FEES IN HOSPITALS... SAYS PM GOLDING

Prime Minister Bruce   Golding has said that despite many criticisms government remains committed to the abolition of user fees in hospitals.

He said that although the government is stretched, those persons who can afford to pay, should pay what they can afford.  ‘The problem is we have never been able to develop an appropriate means to determine whether a person can afford to pay and if so, how much. It is an administrative nightmare'. Mr. Golding said studies done some years ago indicated that the vast majority of people cannot afford to pay and when they do, they do so at tremendous sacrifice and therefore the decision government took is one that is necessary and must be sustained.

 Admitting that it is not a perfect arrangement, the Prime Minister said that one of the weaknesses is the area of health insurance, which should be covering some of the costs. It is an anomaly that the government is determined to correct and the Minister of Health is working on a new arrangement that where health insurance exists, efforts will be made to help the government recover some of the costs from the insurance companies.

Mr. Golding was speaking at the official opening of the refurbished and expanded Hargreaves Memorial Hospital in Mandeville yesterday (Aug 27).

The 80 year old Hargreaves Memorial hospital was  rescued from bankruptcy  by  Mandeville business leaders,   Calvin and Sylvia Lyn  who purchased the facility  and have turned it into  Mandeville's  premier private health care provider. 

Participating in the opening ceremony yesterday were the Ministers of Health, Ruddy Spencer and Finance Minister Audley Shaw.